If you think chewing tobacco is not as dangerous as cigarettes – think again.
Tobacco users who think it’s safer to dip snuff or chew tobacco than smoke are dead wrong, researchers say. A study has found that taking one pinch of smokeless tobacco delivers the same amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as smoking five cigarettes. PAHs are common environmental contaminants that are formed as a result of incomplete burning of wood, coal, fatty meat or organic matter, according to information in a news release from the American Chemical Society. For instance, PAHs form during the grilling of meats. Some are known carcinogens. – From US News & World Report